Pope Francis to visit Korea, August 14 ~18

On the 10th of March 2014, the Vatican and The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (President, Most Rev. Peter Kang U-il) announced; “Welcoming the invitation from the President of Korea and the Korean bishops, His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Voyage to the Republic of Korea from 14th to 18th of August 2014, on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day, to be held in the diocese of Daejeon.”

The Pope’s visit to Korea will center on the message; 'Arise, shine! (Isaiah 60:1)'. He is attending the 6th Asian Youth Day, which is held from the 13th to 17th of August in the diocese of Daejeon. During this time, Pope Francis will talk with young Asian Catholics and lead mass on August 15th. He will also meet with the disabled children of ‘Flower Neighborhood’ - one of the best known Catholic welfare facilities on August 16th.

This visit to Korea will mark the first in 25 years since the Pope has been upon Korean soil, the former being by Pope John Paul II. In 1986, Pope John Paul II celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Catholic Church of Korea and canonized 103 Korean martyrs. Five years later in 1989, the Pope made his second visit to attend the 44th International Eucharistic Congress.